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Chapter : 46
After being denied access to Luciano’s bedroom, I couldn’t see him at all for two whole days.
“Cassia.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Do you happen to know where Luciano is?”
“No… Not even us maids or the servants are attending His Grace the Grand Duke right now. Only the butler is personally seeing to him.”
It was strange. Not only had he skipped entering the imperial palace for two days straight, but he also said he couldn’t attend dinner with me. And now he wasn’t even allowing the maids or servants to attend him.
“If you wish, I can try to find out separately, my lady.”
Cassia said that, but I shook my head.
“If Luciano is acting this way, then he must have his reasons. That’s enough—go ahead and leave.”
“Yes, my lady.”
I headed toward Luciano’s bedroom, but ran into Ed along the way.
“So he didn’t go to the imperial palace today either?”
“Yes. He said it was work that didn’t require him to attend, so His Grace did not enter the palace.”
I kept staring at Ed, but he didn’t avoid my gaze.
Realizing that I would never get any information about Luciano from him, I turned back.
Watching Estelline walk away, Ed was seized by an inexplicable sense of guilt.
“Is it really okay not to tell my lady anything like this…?”
Luciano’s orders—whom he had served for a long time—came first, but seeing Estelline’s expression left him feeling far from relieved.
After letting out a sigh, Ed knocked on the door to Luciano’s bedroom.
“Your Grace. It’s Ed. I’m coming in.”
When he opened the door, he saw Luciano lying on the bed.
“Are you still in pain?”
Luciano didn’t say a word, only nodded as if speaking itself was unbearable.
At a glance, his condition was clearly abnormal. His body—no longer entirely human—was cold.
“Your body is still cold.”
As though even responding was too much, Luciano turned away and closed his eyes.
Ever since the manifestation symptoms began, it had been a hellish time. At first, his body burned with heat; now, the cold was so severe it drove him mad.
“My wife…”
At Luciano’s faint voice, Ed answered.
“She came by earlier and stopped in front of your bedroom, but then left.”
“I see.”
“Your Grace… Is it truly alright not to tell my lady anything?”
“Yes. Don’t let her keep asking.”
Luciano spoke coldly. Ed bowed his head and left the room.
After another day passed, Luciano’s condition began to improve. His body, which had been unnaturally cold, gradually returned to a normal temperature, and the pain subsided.
“Now I finally feel like I can live…”
And there was another change—his power of the sun had finally manifested.
Of course, he would need to return to the Temple of Helios to learn more, but there was no doubt that the power had awakened.
Pulling the bell cord, he called Ed.
“Ed.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“We’re leaving for the Temple of Helios immediately. Make the preparations.”
“Understood.”
In the early morning, before Estelline had even woken up, he boarded a carriage and headed for the Temple of Helios.
Because of that, Estelline had no idea where Luciano had gone.
When they arrived at the temple, the priests greeted him.
“Where is Cardinal Chris?”
“The Cardinal is currently attending to his duties. If you wait a little, he will come out.”
“It’s my fault for coming without notice. No need to worry.”
Luciano followed the priests into the reception room.
About two hours later, the door finally opened and Cardinal Chris entered.
At a glance, he understood Luciano’s condition.
“Congratulations. The power of the sun has manifested.”
“Is that truly so?”
“Yes, Your Grace. If you doubt it, please follow me.”
Following Cardinal Chris deeper into the temple, they arrived at a restricted area within the prayer hall, accessible only to cardinals.
There stood a statue of Helios, and beneath it was a basin filled with holy water.
Cardinal Chris poured the holy water into a bowl and handed it to Luciano.
“Please place your hand inside.”
As Luciano did so, the holy water evaporated and disappeared.
“What is this?”
“Proof that the power of the sun has manifested.”
“What?”
“The power of the sun belongs to the fire element. Therefore, when it comes into contact with holy water, the water dries up and vanishes.”
“Then does that mean the power has fully manifested?”
“No. It has only just awakened. You must undergo consistent training to fully control it. For now, the power is still weak, and you cannot wield it properly.”
“How should I train?”
“That, even I do not know. The power of the sun has always manifested only in members of the imperial family, so as a cardinal, my knowledge ends here.”
Luciano nodded in understanding.
“Your Grace.”
Cardinal Chris handed him a ring.
“And what is this?”
“As I said earlier, you cannot yet fully control the power of the sun. Wearing this ring will prevent the power from running wild. However, when training, it will be beneficial to remove it.”
Luciano accepted the ring and slipped it onto his finger.
“Then, Your Grace, I shall see you again another time.”
After Cardinal Chris left, Luciano immediately returned to the Grand Duke’s estate.
“Ed. Where is Luciano?”
“He left for the Temple of Helios at dawn yesterday.”
“The Temple of Helios?”
Why would Luciano suddenly go there? Not knowing the reason, I said nothing.
“He should be back soon. Would it not be better to ask His Grace directly?”
“I understand.”
I nodded at Ed’s words and continued waiting for Luciano.
The next morning, Luciano’s carriage appeared before the gates of the estate.
“My lady! His Grace the Grand Duke has arrived. Shall you go out to greet him?”
“Yes. I should go.”
Taking the maids with me, I went downstairs to welcome Luciano.
“Luciano. Welcome back.”
I smiled naturally and approached him.
“It has been a while, my lady.”
“Are you feeling better? I heard you were unwell for several days.”
Luciano smiled as if it were nothing.
“I’m fine now, my lady. Thank you for your concern.”
He extended his hand toward me. It was such a natural gesture that I took it without thinking.
“I’ll see you in the dining room shortly, my lady.”
“Alright.”
As soon as Luciano entered his bedroom, I looked down at my palm.
“My lady, what’s wrong?”
“No… My hand feels too hot.”
I hadn’t touched anything hot, yet my palm was red, burning, and painful.
“Shall I bring some ice?”
“No, it’s fine. It should get better if I rest a little.”
By the time Luciano finished preparing, I went down to the dining room as well.
“Welcome, my lady.”
“You arrived first, Luciano.”
I sat across from him and picked up my utensils.
“My stomach feels strange…”
Even though I hadn’t eaten all day, I suddenly felt unwell.
“Are you feeling ill, my lady?”
“What? No, I’m fine.”
“It’s one of your favorite dishes, but you haven’t eaten much. I wondered if you might not be feeling well.”
“Don’t worry, Luciano.”
Not wanting him to worry, I forced myself to eat.
As soon as I returned to my room after the meal, I asked a maid for digestive medicine.
“Are you feeling that unwell?”
The maids looked at me anxiously.
“No… It’s not that bad.”
“But my lady, your complexion is very pale.”
At their words, I looked into the mirror. My face was so pale it was almost bloodless.
“What…? Why do I look like this?”
I took the medicine immediately.
“This is strange. Lately, my condition feels worse and worse.”
An ominous feeling slowly crept over me.
The next day, Luciano and I went to the imperial palace together.
Since he hadn’t entered the palace for some time, he had been summoned by Khalid, and I had an appointment with Lysianthus.
“My lady. Let’s go.”
The moment my hand touched Luciano’s, it felt unbearably hot, and I immediately pulled away.
“I’m sorry.”
After apologizing, I boarded the carriage without his escort.
“That’s a ring I’ve never seen before.”
I said, looking at the ring on his hand.
“Yes, my lady.”
After that, we didn’t exchange a single word.
The problem was that the longer I stayed in the carriage, the harder it became to breathe. My body felt like it was growing even hotter.
“Haa…”
Just when I felt I couldn’t endure it any longer, we finally arrived at the imperial palace and I could get out of the carriage.
“Ah—!”
As I stepped down, I lost my balance and staggered.
“My lady!”
Luciano immediately caught me, but the spot where he touched burned, and I recoiled again.
“My lady…”
“I’ll go on ahead.”
I hurried toward the Empress’s palace.
“This isn’t just a hunch. He’s definitely manifested it.”
Because Luciano had manifested the power of the sun, I—who possessed the power of the moon—was clearly suffering.
In the original story, even though his power hadn’t fully manifested, Estelline still died. By the time he fully awakened it, Estelline was already dead.
“The pace of the original story keeps accelerating.”
The time when I thought I could divorce at my leisure had already passed.
My death was drawing closer and closer.
Unable to hide my growing anxiety, I arrived at the Empress’s palace where Lysianthus was waiting.
